It's war, Miss Scarlett! War! Civil war has broken out in Quakertown borough council. The opening volleys have been fired. General Dennis Hallman is leading the Union troops (not to be confused with the Operating Engineers union which Hallman is fighting), and councilman Dave Zaiser is wearing rebel gray, y'all.
A year ago, Zaiser was a political unknown, an Everyman, determined to do battle with council's buddy-buddy, wink-wink shenanigans. His election, knocking off former president Ray Fulmer, the poster child for all of council's problems, should have been a wake-up call to the rest of the borough hall gang. They had no clue about the dissatisfaction in town, or the depth of the problems. And, fiddle-dee-dee, they surely had no inkling that the voters had the testicular fortitude to revolt, throwing down the gauntlet and throwing out the president.
Dave has pulled no punches with his six new colleagues, branding them as lazy, unresponsive, and out of touch. He also charges that they have tried to silence him to keep sensitive issues out of the public eye. Hallman returned fire, suggesting that an anonymous "somebody" must be putting ideas into Zaiser's head. (After all, Quakertown council members don't think for themselves.) But the "somebody" isn't who Hallman apparently believes.
Zaiser was a rebel from the start - he actually campaigned for office! In contrast to council's position that any unhappy citizens must come to them, he went door to door, speaking with the people. He heard their complaints, learned their problems and their needs. And they learned about him. As a result, he received the most votes of the four candidates, topping all three incumbents. And ever since his election, he has attended neighborhood meetings, visited areas of the borough which have issues, met with the residents.
And these are the "somebodys" who put ideas into Zaiser's head. The people of Quakertown. Zaiser's fellow Everymen (and women), who are so often forgotten by a council which has been preoccupied with approving illegal contracts, accepting special favors from borough manager David Woglom, and improperly selling goods to their own town. The result: of the nine initiatives introduced in council this year, seven have been by the newest councilman. A curfew. Restrictions on where sex offenders can live. A seminar to find activities for teens. An investigation of the manager. A statement to the school board that the borough needs to continue proper representation. A landlord ordinance.
And, scariest of all to council - and Woglom particularly - a long-overdue proposal to change the form of government, replacing the antiquated "strong manager/weak council" system that is used in only eight of the 961 boroughs in Pennsylvania. A form that Quakertown adopted 32 years ago, when the needs were much different. The new system wouldn't change the people on council, though that could also happen next year. It would just put more responsibilities on them, rather than on the hired buddy/manager who is not accountable to the citizens. Our chosen leaders would actually have to do what they were elected for - understand issues and make decisions. Just like tens of thousands of councilpersons and supervisors across the country.
"I have been waiting for eight months for one of our experienced council members to step up to the plate and put and end to this," Zaiser explained. "My latest proposal is the only way I know to effect possible change. It allows the residents of Quakertown to determine if they feel that our current form of government is working for them."
Change would mean an end to council's cushy life, and special favors, so don't expect them to place it on the ballot voluntarily. Hallman responded "Most of us have 8-to-5 jobs where our employers won't pay us to do borough business on their time. We just cannot have the luxury of spending all of our days working on borough business. Our job is not to do that". I guess I missed that thought in Hallman's campaign literature, back when he was convincing the voters that he would do whatever was necessary to govern properly. Anyone with an attitude like that should be Gone With the Wind.
By comparison, Richland has a larger population, larger area, and way more issues, but is overseen by only three supervisors, at least two of whom work full time. So if the Hallmans of the world can't - or won't - perform, they need to make way for those who can - and will. Zaiser is preparing a petition to force the issue. Do residents want the current system, that encourages Hallman's "we-just-can't-do-it" attitude, or a new, better one, like the rest of the state, that requires elected leaders to actually govern?
Why is it that one councilman has the insight, and foresight, to introduce seven plans, while the rest of council together has presented two? Call it the Fulmer Syndrome, named for the guy who epitomized the myopic thinking in Quakertown leadership. The guy who read town's motto "A great place to work, live, and play", and stopped there. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Everything is skittles and rainbows.
Obviously, it is not. The problems are many. Council and Woglom have proved conclusively that the current form of government does not work here, and Zaiser's petition may solve that. But just changing the form of government isn't the whole answer. The key will always be the people serving in that government - elected, hired, and appointed. As long as illegal and improper conduct is tolerated, special favors offered and accepted, and very expensive but poorly performing consultants retained, the actual form of government is irrelevant. It all comes down to the integrity of the people we elect.
And frankly, my dear, we must all give a damn.